settings before I start a documentary

M

MemoryScreen

New member
Basically my question is what would you recommend I start shooting with from the beginning as to not cause any problems at the end. I'm going to be using the dvx without an anamorphic adapter to shoot the all the interviews for a documentary in 24pA... however a lot of the rest of the footage is regular ol stuff shot from a vx1000, pd150, vx3 16mm/super8mm and so on.. even some vhs crap.. my question is... i want the film to be letterboxed to some degree... i dont want it taking up the whole tv.. but on some of the regular ol video footage i can't really cut off too much to accommodate it. What is your suggestion for how I should shoot the dvx (the in camera letterbox? how bad is this feature?) if this is going to be made into a feature length documentary... edited on Fcp/avid, shown at festivals, possibly distributed but definitely not printed on film... if i want an overall wide screen look but have to mesh all these different kinds of video/film together with the 24p footage. I want to set it straight before i start shooting in a few weeks. I appreciate any and all help..
 
Re: settings before I start a documentary

There's 2 important things you said... "a lot of the rest of the footage is regular ol stuff shot from a vx1000, pd150, vx3 16mm/super8mm and so on" and "definitely not printed on film."

For these reasons I recommend NOT shooting in 24PA. Use normal 24P and edit in good ole' 29.97 and you can mix your source footage to your heart's content. Normal 24P will give you a standard 2:3 pulldown similar to your transferred 16mm film.

Also, do not be misled by the DVX manual and use the Cine Gamma setting. Use normal gamma, or High (if you would like more sensitivity in the darker areas.) We have some other threads on this board that describe the effects of the gamma curves.

Since you don't know what you'll be doing with regards to a letterbox format, do not use the 1.78:1 mask built into the DVX. Just shoot 4x3 and then mask it all in post to whatever aspect ratio you want. What I do is put a piece of clear acetate plastic (or seran-wrap would work too) over my LCD screen, temporarily turn on the letterbox, and trace a couple of guide-lines with a marker. You can then use this for your composition.

The rest of the settings you should experiment with. Try to use a properly calibrated monitor while on set for the first day. You will quickly gain enough confidence to shoot without it.

Here's a link to a document I prepared recently for a DVX multi-camera commercial shoot. You may find some of the info in it helpful.

http://www.gve.net/DVX100_Setup_Guide_Ford.doc

Tim
 
Re: settings before I start a documentary

wait, as far as 24pnormal and 24pA are concerned, i thought 24pA was designed to go straight into fcp and lower end systems because it did an "in camera" telecine to 29.97? my initial thought was that 24pA was kind of a default setting, so that either way i couldn't go wrong using it as opposed to 24pN which i would have to convert in cinema tools to 29.97 if i wanted to use it in this same way? now i'm totally confused. and about the letterboxing... I can't really cut off too much of the frame of the old video footage so i'm not even sure how I should compose my interview shots (even with your idea with the lcd screen which is ingenius). ughh.. frustrating
 
Re: settings before I start a documentary

the camera records everything at 29.976 regardless of what mode your recording in. the 24pn is basically 24p telecined to ntsc 29.976 in the cam for you.. you should use that setting. and simply put- the 24pa is for 24p editing and output ..such as a film out or progressive scan 24p dvd. if you are not doing either of these things .. you should use the 24pn setting.

below is a link to the dvx1oo users manual that you can print out if you need to .. be sure to take some time to familiarize yourself with how the camera operates before its even in your hands .. it will save you alot of gueswork trouble. :) good luck with the project!

ftp://ftp.panasonic.com/pub/Panasonic/Drivers/PBTS/manuals/OM_AG-DVX100.pdf  
 
Re: settings before I start a documentary

As for in camera 16x9.. the guides is the way to go. Then if you give someone a haircut or chop thier ankles off you can up or down the frame to fix... this should help you with your old 4:3 footage.

I still dont agree about shooting Normal though. I suggest using MagicBullet or similar to convert all your other footage to 24p and shoot the dvx on 24pa. Then you can have a 24p output that you can go either to film or broadcast... if you end up with an interlaced output as you would with 24pN and want to goto film down the road.. or even a progressive 24p dvd, then it wont look as good.
 
Re: settings before I start a documentary

But he said he has interlaced footage from VX1000, PD150, vx3, Super 8 and he will definitely NOT be going to film output. Also, he suggested that he may be working on an Avid - but not necessarily one capable of 24fps.

THIS IS WHY HE SHOULD CUT IN 29.97!

24Pa is great if your whole project is capable of being cut in 24fps. Magic Bullet may also work on converting his old footage into an aceeptable 24P format, but I'm trying to help simplify the process for him.

Still confused MemoryScreen? ???
 
Re: settings before I start a documentary

what zoom is suggesting will provide the highest production value , and options down the road. It is a viable and very good suggestion/reccomendation, and is what i would do.
the only reason that i suggested that you use 24pn over zooms (and my own) methodology, is that it sounds like right now you may be getting in over your head by getting into all that, and it didnt sound like you would need it as you stated you are definitley not doing a film out.

but again zoom is making perfect sense here..so is dashwood. there is always more than one way to skin a cat. niether the 24pa or 24pn methods would be wrong per say, you just need to decide on your final destination for the project, and choose the vehicle that will get you there most efficiently. if your not familiar enough with how the 24pn or 24pa methods of recording /workflow /output work to make an informed decision, there are some great links to good info that will teach you everything you need to know and more in the "links" here.\/

http://www.dvxuser.com/cgi-bin/DVX/YaBB.cgi?board=links;action=display;num=1067016567

always best to learn how to swim before jumping in the water. its really frustrating trying to do it when your already in there.. but then again you gotta get your feet wet somtime! good luck!
 
Re: settings before I start a documentary

To say that I am confused right now would be an understatement. Everyone from film school to the web gives me a different answer, but I'm getting closer to understanding what exactly each person means. A D.P. graduate of my school (SVA) came and preached the 24pA mode only and of course I went along with it until I started getting serious into preproduction on this documentary. I appreciate all of your help, really I do. Thank you so much, if you have anything to add feel free. I'm gonna go read up now.
 
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